3x Super Bowl champ pumps the brakes on Caleb Williams hype train
It's a new dawn for the Chicago Bears, one they hope Caleb Williams will herald after being anointed as the de facto face of the franchise.
No eyebrows were raised when the former USC signal caller was drafted No. 1 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, with Jayden Daniels going to the Washington Commanders at No. 2, and Drake Maye going to the New England Patriots at No. 3. A total of five quarterbacks were picked in the top 10 this year (Michael Penix Jr. to the Atlanta Falcons, and J.J. McCarthy to the Minnesota Vikings) but you can be certain that none of these names will be as closely watched as Caleb Williams.
And with good reason. Williams has been touted as a generational talent across the board, starting from Sportskeeda's resident draft expert Tony Pauline to Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton, who dubbed Williams a 'generational talent' during a segment on Fox.
However, 3x Super Bowl champion Mark Schlereth imparted some words of wisdom regarding the hype around Williams. On his Stinkin' Truth podcast this week, the former Broncos guard said:
“I see the talent [in Caleb Williams], there’s no question about the talent. But generational talent doesn’t mean generational quarterback.
"Joe Montana didn’t have generational talent, he’s one of the best quarterbacks we’ve ever seen. Tom Brady didn’t have generational talent but he is the GOAT of all quarterbacks. Peyton Manning didn’t have generational talent but he was great. Drew Brees didn’t have generational talent. He’s going to the Hall of Fame.
Schlereth added that there's a big difference between being labeled a generational talent and developing into a perennial All-Pro quarterback.
Could Caleb Williams help the Bears sneak into the playoffs in 2024?
Two teams in the NFC North will field fresh-faced starting quarterbacks in 2024 - the Bears and the Vikings.
While the Vikings haven't yet announced J.J. McCarthy as the Week 1 starter (Sam Darnold could then start in his stead), the Bears will certainly have Williams under center when they kick off their season against the Tennessee Titans in Week 1.
The Bears also went to work in the offseason, bringing Keenan Allen to town to ease Williams' welcome into the NFL. Rome Odunze was also a pretty significant coup in the draft. All things considered, the Bears addressed some major holes on the roster and sort of steadied the ship.
Considering they will not face a division rival until Week 11 (six of Chicago's final eight games are against division rivals),
the Bears could potentially hit the ground running in Caleb Williams' first year in the National Football League, we could very well see Williams rack up 8-9 wins in his rookie season.